ACLU of Virginia sues school district over refusal to comply with transgender student protections

HANOVER, VA. — The ACLU of Virginia is suing a Virginia school board over its refusal to comply with a 2020 law that requires districts to adopt protections for transgender students.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia filed the lawsuit in Hanover County on Thursday on behalf of five families, all of whom have transgender children enrolled in county public schools, The Washington Post reported.

The law required state education officials to set rules for the treatment of transgender students, then mandated that all school districts adopt guidelines mirroring those rules by the start of this school year.

Last month, the Hanover County School Board voted 4-to-3 against revising its rules that would have permitted transgender students to use bathrooms and attend sex-specific classes that match their gender identities. It’s the first such lawsuit against a district, although other systems have also denied or delayed granting transgender students access to sex-specific facilities. No district has faced punishment from state government officials so far.

Read more: https://www.pilotonline.com/virginia/vp-nw-aclu-lawsuit-hanover-20211210-teq3zp4aebcerbu26gi54tzkbq-story.html